Little League, Big Time

It was after 9 p.m. and raining when the five buses carrying more than 200 Downtown Little League players and their coaches pulled into the parking lot of the Little League headquarters in Williamsport, Pa. Before them, glowing under bright stadium lights, was the "Jewel"—officially known as Howard J. Lamade Stadium and site of the Little League World Series, with its dugouts, raised pitching mound, stands and electronic scoreboard, which bore the message, "Welcome Downtown Manhattan LL."

"The kids got off the buses and started to run down the hill to the field," recalled Vito Supa, president of the Downtown Little League. "A lot of them rolled or slid down the hill. They were jumping up and down like they had just won the World Series."

It was the beginning of a weekend in Little League heaven for the Downtown players and parents who traveled to Williamsport May 17–19 to feel the thrill of playing on a championship field.

They had a busy schedule. When Saturday morning brought wet skies, the kids got a batting clinic from the baseball coach at Williamsport High. And over two days, each of the 17 teams from three divisions played at least three games, with at least one game in one of two stadiums. The league’s major-division Diamondbacks and Devil Rays played in prime time on Saturday night, with an 8 p.m. start under the lights.

When they weren’t in a game, players could take cuts in the indoor and outdoor batting cages, or teams could use one of the practice fields.

"For some teams, it was the first time this season that they could go onto a field and practice," said Supa.
With their new Battery Park City fields under construction, the players have been traveling to other fields in the city, with little chance to practice.

"Williamsport brought the kids and coaches together in a community spirit that’s been hard to capture without our fields and without practices," said Wally Turbeville, the league’s treasurer, who led the effort to organize the trip. "They got to bond together."

The Downtowners’ visit was covered by CNN and CBS, which were allowed to ask players about baseball, but not about Sept. 11. The trip’s costs were paid by the Yankees, who will also host 200 Downtown Little Leaguers at a game in July.

"It was an experience that very few people are fortunate enough to have," said Supa. "The kids really felt special."